This invention relates to a racket, especially a tennis racket, having a hitting area strung with longitudinal and transverse strings and having at least one removable damping means for the damping of string vibrations.
A racket of this type is known from DE-OS No. 28 06 061. In this known racket, two or more strings are coupled at locations spaced from the string crossing points. For this purpose, coupling elements are used made of an elastomer material having elastic self-damping characteristics, such as natural or synthetic rubber, or worm springs or spiral springs which, at the ends, wind around two adjacent strings and thus mechanically couple them with one another. In order to achieve a sufficient damping effect, several of such coupling elements are preferably mounted. In the case of one of the coupling elements, the ends are folded over the strings, in which case it may subsequently be arranged at a desired spot of the hitting surface between two strings. In addition, the coupling elements are developed in such a way that they deform the adjacent strings with respect to one another; i.e., by means of the coupling element, the strings are pulled toward one another or pressed apart. The coupling elements must therefore be formed in correspondence to the distance between the strings.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,732,209 disclosed a racket with corrugated wire stringing in place of the conventional plastic or gut stringing. In view of the fact that the metallic strings produce a ringing sound when struck against by a ball, shuttle-cock or other objects, a deadening material in the form of rubber-like strips are applied to the stringing to prevent vibration thereof. Those strips have hook-like ends. The hook-like ends engage the first and last transverse or longitudinal strings with the strip being woven in and out of the intervening strings a positions spaced from the crossing points of the transverse and longitudinal strings and so as to extend through the center of the hitting area.
The present invention is based on the objective of being able to provide a racket, especially a tennis racket, with a damping element which, in a simple manner, may at any time be easily exchangeable in place of a worn one or in place of one that has other damping characteristics, for example.
The noted objective of the present invention is achieved, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, through the provision of a rubber-like elastic band which is clamped exclusively in an edge area of the hitting area through crossing points of respective longitudinal and transverse strings.
By this measure, the strings of a racket can be dampened at any time corresponding to the selection of the string material and/or the tension of the strings and/or corresponding to the wishes and requirements of the player. For this purpose, the strip, in a simple manner, is slid under the respective crossing points of the strings and is clamped in-between. In particular, one obtains, by means of one or no more than two damping elements, a sufficient damping of the corresponding racket.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only several embodiments in accordance with the present invention.